Policy Observatory
German opposition calls for abolition of online hate speech law
Germany’s opposition parties on Sunday called for the abolition of a new law that aims to rid social media of hate speech, saying it was wrong for private companies to be making decisions about whether posts are unlawful. The legislation, which came into force on Jan. 1, can impose fines of up to 50 million euros ($60.1 million) on sites that fail to remove hate speech promptly, raising fears that Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms could block more content than necessary.
Country: Germany
Domains: IPR
Stakeholder: Government
Tags: content blocking, social media, Germany, hate speech